President Donald Trump sparked bipartisan criticism from members of Congress on Monday for his comments at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At a joint press conference in Helsinki, Trump defended Putin against claims of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, and said the U.S. was equally to blame as Russia for poor relations between the two countries.
A number of prominent Republican lawmakers in Washington denounced Trump’s comments. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the summit was “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, an East Cobb resident who is Georgia’s senior senator, sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and issued the following statement late Monday afternoon:
I support the assessment of the intel community & the bipartisan Senate Intel Committee findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election – just as it has done for decades. Russia does not deserve our trust or special treatment, and my view remains unchanged after today's mtg.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Roswell Republican who represents East Cobb in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. She released this statement on late Monday afternoon:
Georgia’s other senator, Republican David Perdue, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has not commented publicly on the matter.
Trump finished a week-long trip to Europe that included a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels as well as Britain.
Even some long-standing supporters of Trump were concerned about the president’s comments. Former House Speaker and 6th District Congressman Newt Gingrich said Trump “must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—immediately.”
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The final week of Cobb advance voting for the July 24 runoffs will include more locations in the coming week, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road).
Voting hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On the ballot for East Cobb voters in particular is the 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff between Lucy McBath and Kevin Abel. The winner advances to face Republican U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November.
The top two statewide races also are up for runoff on the Republican side. For governor, it’s between current Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and sitting Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
Lieutentant governor candidates are Geoff Duncan and David Shafer. The GOP Secretary of State runoff features David Belle Isle and Brad Raffensperger.
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Georgia 6th Congressional candidate Lucy McBath has been endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee before her July 24 Democratic runoff against Kevin Abel.
Here’s the endorsement message that McBath’s campaign is sending out today:
Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Chairman of the CBCPAC stated, “Lucy McBath’s story is an inspiration that resonates throughout this country. After tragically losing her son to gun violence in 2012, Lucy stood up and worked hard to protect other children from suffering the same fate, understanding firsthand how important it is that we enact sensible gun safety legislation.”
“Furthermore, as a two-time breast cancer survivor, Lucy understands the importance of having quality and affordable healthcare.” Meeks continued, “Lucy is a fighter, and now more than ever we need more fighters like her in Washington.”
“The Congressional Black Caucus PAC is on the frontlines of the battle to protect the values we hold dear as Americans,” said Lucy McBath. “As the daughter of a former regional NAACP branch president, I understand the stakes could not be higher right now as many in Washington seek to turn back the clock and limit the rights that we have fought so hard for as Americans. I look forward to working with the CBCPAC and other representatives in Washington to fight for a more inclusive and prosperous future for all Americans.”
Abel, a Sandy Springs technology entrepreneur, has been endorsed by a number of Atlanta-area business and public officials and religious leaders.
He also has been critical of McBath for accepting what he calls “outside dark money” in campaign spending, in particular financial support from an organization called End Citizens United.
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Starting Monday, Cobb advance voting for primary runoff races gets underway, and until July 20 you can do so only at the main Cobb Elections office in Marietta. There will be a week of advance voting that takes place July 16-20 at the East Cobb Government Service Center and other locations in the county.
On the ballot for East Cobb voters is the 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff between Lucy McBath and Kevin Abel. The winner advances to face Republican U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November.
The top two statewide races also are up for runoff on the Republican side. For governor, it’s between current Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and sitting Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
Lieutentant governor candidates are Geoff Duncan and David Shafer. The GOP Secretary of State runoff features David Belle Isle and Brad Raffensperger.
On the local level, the Cobb Board of Commissioners District 1 GOP runoff bears watching. Incumbent Bob Weatherford is being opposed by Keli Gambrill as commissioners are deliberating on budget matters.
The runoff date of July 24 would have coincided with the day commissioners were to adopt a fiscal year 2019 budget, but the budget meeting has been pushed back a day, to July 25.
Here’s more from Cobb Elections on advance voting information
If you voted a party ballot in the May Primary, you must vote the same party in the Runoff. If you did not vote in the Primary, you can still vote in the Runoff. Registered Cobb County voters can go to any advancedvoting location:
July 2–20 (Closed July 4) Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, July 14 Location: Elections Office (West Park Government Center), 736 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta
For more information, call Cobb Elections at 770-528-2581. View your sample ballot at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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Beth Farokhi, a founding member of the East Cobb Democratic Association and a former Cobb school board candidate from East Cobb, has died of ovarian cancer.
Over the weekend the Cobb County Democratic Party made the announcement. Farokhi, 70, had been living in Kennesaw and was involved in party activities on several levels.
In 2006, Farokhi received 43 percent of the vote in the Post 6 Cobb school board election in her campaign against Republican incumbent John Crooks. That seat is now held by Scott Sweeney.
Farokhi was a school teacher in Cobb and also ran for state superintendent of schools in 2010. She was a retired administator at the College of Education at Georgia State University. Her son, Amir Farokhi, is a member of the Atlanta City Council.
Here’s the message the county party was sharing Sunday:
Beth was one of the founding members of East Cobb Democratic Association, among her many, many activities in our community. She ran for the Cobb County School Board in 2006, achieving a record for door knocking, even though she did not win. In 2010, she ran for State Superintendent of Schools, traveling the length and corners of our state to spread her message and making many friends. Beth was a constant champion for schools and education and children, as well as for women’s equality. Beth was wife and mother, a professor of education, and officer in numerous organizations, but most of all we will remember Beth Farokhi as our friend, who always had a warm smile and kind word for everyone she met.
Per the AJC’sfull obituary, following a private graveside service in her hometown of Augusta, a public memorial service is scheduled for July 7 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
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U.S. Rep. Karen Handel on Friday shut down a colleague on the House floor as he played an audio recording of immigrant children being held at a detention camp near the Mexican border.
(You can view the full video from the House floor at the bottom of this post).
At the end of a long week of national debate over President Donald Trump’s detention policies, California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu began to play the recording, made by the news organization Pro Publica.
Lieu was denouncing a “zero tolerance” policy that separated children from their parents after illegal border crossings. Trump later signed an executive order allowing families to remain together in detention camps.
“If the Statue of Liberty could cry, she’d be crying today,” Lieu said in beginning his remarks, which frequently referenced the more than 2,300 children who’ve “been ripped away” from their parents in recent weeks.
Handel, the Roswell Republican whose Georgia 6th District includes East Cobb, was serving as Speaker Pro Tem. Shortly after the recording began, she ruled that Lieu had committed a “breach of quorum” for using an electronic device in the House chambers.
She said that violated Rule 17 of the House, but he continued.
“There is not a rule that says I cannot play sounds from the detention facility,” Lieu said, as the recording continued, and crying children could be heard.
Handel ordered him to stop several times, demanding that “the gentleman will suspend!” and pounding a gavel.
The recording continued for a few more moments, then Handel said that “the sergeant at arms will enforce the rules of decorum.”
Before that happened, Lieu yielded back his time, using a little more than five minutes of the 60 minutes allotted to him.
The House was to have voted on immigration legislation Friday but that has been delayed to next week. Trump has urged Congress to wait until after the November elections.
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U.S. Rep. Karen Handel is urging President Donald Trump to reconsider tariffs he imposed today against steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and European Union nations.
The tariffs, which will go into effect Friday, will add a 25 percent duty to steel imports and a 10 percent duty to aluminum imports from some of the top trading partners of the U.S.
Handel, a Roswell Republican whose 6th Congressional District includes East Cobb, said while she supports Trump’s efforts to renegotiate trade deals, the decision announced Thursday “threatens to dampen” what she said was “recent progress” on the economy.
Handel was referring to Trump’s tax reform legislation that she vocally supported. In a series of messages on her official Twitter account, Handel said the tariffs “do not further the goal of fostering more equitable trade.”
Earlier this month she cautioned against the tariffs that came down today, urging a more “surgical” approach that would avoid retaliation.
Georgia’s two Republican U.S. Senators, Johnny Isakson of East Cobb and David Perdue of Macon, also do not support the latest tariffs. In March Trump issued similar tariffs on other nations, but exempted Canada, Mexico and the EU.
Isakson said the tariffs would hurt the auto industry, and Handel’s district includes the USA headquarters for Mercedes-Benz and other companies that could be adversely affected by Thursday’s decision.
Also coming out against the new tariffs is U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican who is retiring from Congress after this year.
Handel, elected last year in a special election to succeed former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, is running for re-election in November for what would be her first full term. Her opponent will be Lucy McBath or Kevin Abel, who face off in a July 24 Democratic runoff.
Trump won the strongly Republican 6th District with only 51 percent of the vote in 2016. According to an analysis by the political website FiveThirtyEight, Handel has voted with Trump’s positions on major issues and legislation more than 87 percent of the time.
That does not include recent tariff impositions.
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Democrat Caroline Holko (right) got more votes than Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell (left) in the Cobb Commission District 3 primary. But more GOP voters cast ballots in that race on May 22.
Here’s an East Cobb elections update, with official tallies from the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration, which this week certified the results of the May 22 primaries. We’ve provided the official numbers below of East Cobb-area races, but here are a few other figures of note:
A total of 84,284 Cobb voters cast ballots, a turnout of 17.8 percent of the 473,356 registered voters in the county;
More Cobb voters voted for Republican candidates at the top of the statewide ticket (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, etc.) than for Democrats, but only by a slight margin, around 42,000 to around 41,000 on average.
Cobb Commission District 3
Caroline Holko (D): 5,767
JoAnn Birrell (R, incumbent): 5,634
Tom Cheek (R): 3,973
James Smith (D): 1,393
Cobb School Board Post 4
David Chastain (R, incumbent): 4,600
Cynthia Parr (D): 3,469
Cobb School Board Post 6
Scott Sweeney (R, incumbent): 4,844
Charisse Davis (D): 4,562
State Senate District 32
Kay Kirkpatrick (R, incumbent): 11,994
Christine Triebsch (D): 8,502
State House District 37
Sam Teasley (R, incumbent): 3,012
Mary Frances Williams (D): 1,964
Ragin Edwards (D): 514
Bill Bolton (D): 327
State House District 43
Sharon Cooper (R, incumbent): 3,034
Luisa Wakeman (D): 2,641
State House District 44
Don Parsons (R, incumbent): 2,953
Chinita Allen (D): 2,373
Homer Crothers (R): 760
State House District 45
Matt Dollar (R, incumbent): 3,834
Essence Johnson (D): 2,597
State House District 46
John Carson (R, incumbent): 2,788
Karín Sandiford (D): 1,881
U.S. House District 6
Karen Handel (R, incumbent): 13,996
Lucy McBath (D): 4,226
Kevin Abel (D): 3,019
Bobby Kaple (D): 2,762
Steven K. Griffin (D): 740
These are Cobb voting totals only; there will be a Democratic runoff on July 24 between McBath and Abel. There will be Republican runoff the same day in the governor’s race between current Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and current Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
The Cobb precinct-by-precinct voting totals can be found here. Several East Cobb precincts had higher than 20 percent turnout:
Addison, 23.4 percent;
Blackwell, 20 percent;
Chattahoochee, 20 percent;
Chestnut Ridge, 23 percent;
Dickerson, 23 percent;
Dodgen, 24 percent;
Davis, 21 percent;
Eastside 1, 25 percent
Eastside 2, 26.8 percent;
Elizabeth 2, 21 percent;
Elizabeth 3, 23.5 percent;
Elizabeth 5, 21 percent;
Fullers Park, 21.87 percent;
Garrison Mill, 23.64 percent;
Gritters, 20.23 percent;
Hightower, 22 percent;
Lassiter, 20 percent;
Mabry, 21.61 percent;
Murdock, 23 percent;
McCleskey, 24 percent;
Marietta 6B, 23 percent;
Mt. Bethel 1, 22.61 percent;
Mt. Bethel 3, 21.95 percent;
Mt. Bethel 4, 23.56 percent;
Pope, 20 percent;
Roswell 1, 22 percent;
Sandy Plains, 20 percent;
Shallowford Falls, 22.65 percent;
Sope Creek 1, 28.29 percent;
Sope Creek 3, 22.79 percent;
Timber Ridge, 23.84 percent;
Willeo, 23.21 percent.
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In two months, the 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff will summon East Cobb voters to go back to the polls.
If Tuesday’s primary vote is any indication, gun-control advocate Lucy McBath should have an advantage on her home turf.
McBath got 36 percent of the vote across the district, which includes North Fulton and North and Central DeKalb.
She will be going up against businessman Kevin Abel, who got 30 percent of the vote. The winner of the July 24 runoff will face current U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Roswell Republican, in the November general election.
Neither McBath nor Abel have run for public office before.
The total vote tallies were close following the four-candidate primary, which included former CBS46 news anchor Bobby Kaple (26 percent of the vote) and Lassiter High School graduate Steven Knight Griffin (7 percent).
In the 49 precincts that are in the East Cobb area, McBath won all but 10 of them. She received 4,220 votes in East Cobb, or 39 percent of the vote. Abel got 3,014 votes, or 28 percent.
Abel also won some of the more crucial precincts in the heart of the community, including near Eastside Elementary School and Dickerson Middle School, two Mt. Bethel polling stations, Timber Ridge and Hightower Trail Middle School.
McBath, a former airline flight attendant, got 37 percent of the vote in North Fulton, to 28 percent for Abel, who lives in Alpharetta and is the founder of Abel Solutions, a technology consulting company.
In DeKalb, the margins were virtually a toss-up, with McBath getting 33 percent and Abel 32 percent.
Lucy Bath won the East Cobb precincts in purple, and Kevin Abel in green. (Georgia Secretary of State Office map)
Before her candidacy, McBath earned national attention for her gun-control advocacy after her son was shot and killed by a motorist at a Florida gas station. She had filed to run for Georgia House District 37, which includes some of the Northeast Cobb area, and switched after the Parkland, Fla., school shootings in February.
Abel, who emigrated from South Africa as a teenager, has run on reforming immigration and healthcare policy, as well as Social Security and climate change issues. He’s been especially critical of President Donald Trump over his decision to end DACA, which would allow the children of undocumented immigrants a route to legal U.S. citizenship.
The 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff will come just about a year after last year’s special election, in which Handel held off Democrat Jon Ossoff in a high-profile race that earned national attention and was rated the most expensive U.S. House race ever.
Republicans have held the seat since 1978, when Newt Gingrich was first elected to Congress, and East Cobb turned out strongly in favor of Handel in the runoff.
Last year’s close vote has encouraged Democrats to try again, even after Ossoff declined to run.
In East Cobb, where all state and local office holders are Republicans, Democrats have been especially energized.
There are Democrats running for every one of those offices up for election this year, including Cobb Commission District 3, State Senate District 32, all five State House seats in East Cobb and two Cobb Board of Education seats.
All of those Democrats are also women, with four of the legislative candidates being from minority groups.
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The voting precinct at Eastside Baptist Church. The final hours of primary voting Tuesday were soggy, as a late afternoon rain storm swept through East Cobb. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
UPDATED, 11:30 P.M.:
Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell has fended off a challenge from Tom Cheek to win the Republican primary in District 3.
Birrell received 5,422 votes, or 58.48 percent, to 3,850 votes for Cheek, or 41.52 percent.
That’s with 98 percent of the vote, as tabulated by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office at 11:09 p.m.
In November, Birrell will face Caroline Holko, a first-time candidate, who easily won the Democratic primary. Holko received 5,643 votes, or 80.69 percent, to 1,350 votes for Jim Smith, or 19.31 percent.
Birrell, first elected in 2010, ran on a platform of opposing tax increases, helping spur redevelopment of the Canton Road corridor and working to establish Mabry Park.
Cheek, a critic of former commission chairman Tim Lee for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal, campaigned for SPLOST reform, reduced county spending and limiting high-density development.
Holko is a home-schooling mother and liberal political advocate who supports greater transit options in Cobb. She also is opposed to cuts for Cobb libraries and senior services. Smith is a retired Cobb-Marietta water system employee who pushed for greater salary increases for county employees.
Disrict 3 includes some of Northeast Cobb, as well as the Town Center and Kennesaw areas and much of the city of Marietta.
Final results in two contested East Cobb-area legislative races are incomplete as of 11:30 p.m., as is the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District race, which may be going to a runoff.
In the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District, Lucy McBath has 37 percent of the vote, Kevin Abel 33 percent, Bobby Kaple 24 percent and Steven Knight Griffin 5 percent.
But that’s only the advance voting totals and a few precincts reporting in a district that includes East Cobb, North Fulton and North DeKalb. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Republican, in November.
There also are only very early results in House District 44, where State Rep. Don Parsons, a Republican, was being challenged by Homer Crothers in GOP balloting.
Parsons had 2,835 votes, or 79.36 percent, to 742 for Crothers, or 20.74 percent. The winner faces Democrat Chinita Allen in November.
In State House District 37, Marietta activist Mary Frances Williams had 1,938 votes, or 70.27 percent, in the Democratic primary. Trailing were Ragin Edwards with 501 votes, or 18.17 percent, and Bill Bolton with 319 votes, or 11.57 percent.
The winner faces Republican incumbent Sam Teasley in November.
More coverage is coming on Wednesday, once the final results are in, as is a detailed look at the District 3 voting.
In Cobb commission District 1 in north and west Cobb, Republican incumbent Bob Weatherford is headed for a runoff against Kelli Gambrill.
In the governor’s race, former Georgia House Minority leader Stacey Abrams easily won the Democratic nomination over Cobb former State Rep. Stacey Evans, by a 76-24 percent margin.
Abrams becomes the first woman to become a major party nominee for Georgia governor, and the first African-American woman nationwide to win a major party nomination for governor.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp appear headed for a runoff in the Republican primary on July 24.
Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has pulled away from challenger Tom Cheek in the Republican Party primary for District 3, which includes some of Northeast Cobb.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, she has received 4,909 votes, or 58.61 percent of the vote. Cheek has 3,466 votes, or 41.39 percent.
Caroline Holko is easily winning the Democratic primary with 4,981 votes, or 80.52 percent, to 1,205 votes for Jim Smith, for 19.48 percent.
UPDATED, 9:56 P.M.
Nearly half the vote has been counted in the Cobb Commission District 3 elections.
With 44 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent JoAnn Birrell’s lead in the GOP primary has shrunk only slightly. She has 3,077 votes, or 58.76 percent, to 2,160 votes for Tom Cheek, or 41.24 percent.
Caroline Holko continues to lead easily in the Democratic primary. She has 3,002 votes, or 79.97 percent, to 752 votes for Jim Smith, or 20.03 percent.
UPDATED, 8:53 P.M.
The first results from local Cobb races are being reported. In Cobb Commission District 3, incumbent JoAnn Birrell leads Tom Cheek 60 percent-40 percent in the Republican primary.
Birrell has 761 votes to 496 for Cheek in advance voting totals.
On the Democratic side, Caroline Holko leads James Smith 80-20 percent, or 686 to 168 votes.
UPDATED, 7:36 P.M.
Some advance and absentee voting results are rolling in for statewide offices. Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp are the early leaders in the Republican primary for governor, while Stacey Abrams is leading Stacey Evans on the Democratic side.
ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED AT 7:01 P.M.:
East Cobb voters went to the polls today to choose party nominees for a variety of offices, including Cobb Commission District 3, the 6th Congressional District, several legislative races and as well as governor and other statewide offices.
The most closely watched race in East Cobb is District 3 on the Cobb Commission, where Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell is being challenged by Tom Cheek in the GOP primary. The winner will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Jim Smith and Caroline Holko.
A Democratic runoff for the 6th Congressional District seat is possible, with Kevin Abel, Steven Knight Griffin, Bobby Kaple and Lucy McBath vying to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican, was being challenged in the primary by Kevin James, but he was disqualified on Friday.
Voters also chose from a number of non-partisan candidates for various state and local judgeships.
A Republican runoff in the governor’s race is likely, with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp leading in some late polls. On the Democratic side, former state House minority leader Stacey Abrams of Atlanta was leading former State Rep. Stacey Evans of Cobb.
Other races included lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state labor, insurance, agriculture and public service commissioners, as well as state school superintendent.
Democrats were also voting on straw poll questions on gun bump stock sales, Medicaid expansion, transit funding and an independent redistricting commission.
Turnout was projected to be less than 20 percent across Cobb County.
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Tuesday is election day in Cobb and Georgia, and in East Cobb there are several contested races at the state and local level. In this East Cobb Primary Election Guide, we’ll round up stories we’ve posted previously about those races and about who’s on the ballot and where to vote.
There is one precinct change in East Cobb that we haven’t noted before. If you’re a registered voter in the Elizabeth 03 precinct, your polling station has changed. It was at Marietta Alliance Church, but on Tuesday you’ll need to go the Piedmont Road Church of Christ (1630 Piedmont Road).
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all precincts; if you are in line by 7 p.m. you will be allowed to vote. Voters will be asked to choose one ballot: Democratic, Republican or non-partisan (which will not list candidates of either party).
Also something from the weekend in case you missed it: An East Cobb legislative candidate has been disqualified due to a tax issue. Kevin James is a Republican and was running against incumbent State Rep. Sharon Cooper in House District 43.
His name will still be on the ballot, but votes for him will not be counted.
Here are our previous posts, Candidates on the Issues, for those races in East Cobb in which there are contested primaries.
One race we did not post about, due to some technical site issues we were having over the weekend, is the 6th Congressional District primary, where there is a possibility of a runoff on the Democratic side.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel is unopposed in the Republican primary, but several Democratic candidates have lined up after Jon Ossoff declined to run again after last year’s special election.
They include former CBS46 news anchor Bobby Kaple, businessman Kevin Abel, gun-control advocate Lucy McBath and former CDC policy coordinator Steven Knight Griffin, a graduate of Lassiter High School who lives in Brookhaven.
McBath initially qualified to run in State House District 37 that includes some of East Cobb but switched after the February school shootings in Parkland, Fla. Abel and Kaple both live in North Fulton.
The District includes most of East Cobb, as well as parts of North Fulton and north and central DeKalb.
Should there be a runoff, that would take place on July 24.
Georgians also will decide their party nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and other statewide offices. The Democratic ballot will include questions about gun bump stock sales, state Medicaid expansion, an independent redistricting commission and mass transit funding.
Cobb Elections said that 12,994 people took part in advance voting in person, and another 1,735 through the mail.
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Just days before the primaries, an East Cobb legislative candidate has been disqualified by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp for owing more than $20,000 in federal taxes.
Kevin James
Kevin James is listed on the ballot in the Republican primary against longtime State Rep. Sharon Cooper in House District 43, which covers much of East Cobb. No other Republican candidates qualified.
On Friday, Kemp’s office issued the decision (here’s the full ruling). James’ name will remain on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary, but any votes cast for him (as well any cast during advance voting, which ended Friday) will not count.
The challenge was filed on March 21 by Greg Clark, who was identified only as being “qualified” to make such a challenge.
The Georgia Constitution states that anyone who is in default for taxes and hasn’t paid them back or agreed on a payment plan is ineligible to run for or hold public office.
Kemp’s office’s findings included several instances of delinquent federal and state taxes owed by James going back to 2006, including liens filed against him.
According to the ruling, last year James provided to the Secretary of State’s office a letter acknowledging he owed state taxes, and asked to have that obligation forgiven due to hardship.
The Georgia Department of Revenue declined that request, according to the ruling, and James accepted a counteroffer to pay $4,862 over 60 months, or $80.87 a month, for state taxes. He initially owed $5,825 to the state for the years 2012 and 2016.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper
James asked the Internal Revenue Service for the save forgiveness for $20,995 owed in federal taxes in seven years combined, according to the ruling, but James did not provide any information that the debt had been paid or that he had agreed to a payment plan.
Kemp’s office ruled that while James’ ineligibility was removed over state taxes, he remains ineligible “since the Internal Revenue Service has not agreed to an Offer of Compromise at this time.”
James is a self-described businessman who was making his first run for office. On his campaign website, he said his prime motivation for running was legal reform, with “RICO running rampant in our Family Law Judiciary.”
Cooper will face Democrat Luisa Wakeman, a Delta flight attendant, in the Nov. 6 general election.
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This is part of a week-long series of posts on East Cobb News about candidates in the May 22 primaries where there are contested party races. This post includes information about those vying for Cobb Commission District 3.
There are two Republicans and two Democrats on the primary ballot. District 3 includes most of Northeast Cobb, the Town Center Mall area and a good bit of the city of Marietta. It has been redrawn since the Republican incumbent, JoAnn Birrell, was first elected in 2010.
Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell
Birrell, a former lobbyist and consultant, is seeking her third term. She is touting her record against tax hikes, greater support for public safety and advocating redevelopment of the Canton Road corridor and the creation of Mabry Park.
She voted to cut the millage rate in 2016, and said she does not support raising the property tax millage rate to help solve Cobb estimated $30 million to $55 million budget for fiscal year 2019.
Birrell has advocated for the creation of a special one-cent sales tax earmarked for the Cobb Police Department, similar to what exists for the Cobb Fire Department, with a corresponding reduction in the general fund millage rate. No state legislation for a referendum was submitted.
Her GOP opponent is Tom Cheek, an account manager for a software firm that services the restaurant industry. He recently moved into the district from West Cobb and was a vocal critic of former Cobb commission Chairman Tim Lee regarding his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal.
Cheek has campaigned on reforming SPLOST, reducing county spending and curbing development that doesn’t conform to the land use plan.
He’s also fought the county on reforming the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office and filed suit against Cobb in 2016, claiming a pedestrian bridge to SunTrust Park was improperly earmarked with 2016 SPLOST funds.
His SPLOST proposal calls for having a referendum to remove what he calls “infeasible” projects on the 2016 SPLOST.
Cheek also opposes TODs, or “transit-oriented developments” along Highway 41 and is skeptical of a state law passed this year creating a new metro Atlanta transit authority.
Caroline Holko
At a recent candidates forum, he also said he wants to see more detailed figures about how big the county budget gap really is.
Home-schooling mother Caroline Holko is running as a Democrat, and she admits to having liberal views in what’s regarded as a conservative district.
She supports greater transit options for Cobb citizens and is not opposed to raising the millage rate in paying for services such as libraries and senior services, saying raising the millage rate by 1 mill would cost the owner of a $250,000 home an extra $100 a year.
At a candidates forum this month, she said “I don’t really support any significant budget cuts.” Holko also has asked for an audit of the Cobb Tax Assessors office. She has said her support for a property tax increase is predicated on “realistic property assessments.”
Jim Smith
Retired Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority manager Jim Smith, who has been involved with the Canton Road Neighors civic group, is the other Democrat, and like Holko he is a first-time candidate.
In the campaign he has been vocal about paying county employees better. “We’re trying to do more with less,” he said at a campaign forum this month. “We’re not giving people a living wage and benefits to keep them here.”
Smith has been critical of Birrell’s and Cheek’s opposition to raising taxes, and on his Facebook page has detailed delays in road repairs as an example of lagging county services due to tight spending.
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This is part of a week-long series of posts on East Cobb News about candidates in the May 22 primaries where there are contested party races. In the East Cobb area, there are five such contested races. This post includes information about those vying for Georgia State House District 44.
There are two Republicans and one Democrat on the May 22 primary ballot. District 44 includes a major portion of Northeast Cobb (see map above) and areas around and including Town Center Mall.
State Rep. Don Parsons
Incumbent Republican State Rep. Don Parsons is running to retain the seat he has held since 1995. A long-time Bell South employee, and now a consultant in the telecommunications industry, Parsons is chairman of the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, and is a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Health & Human Services Committee and the Ways & Means Committee.
He has been a vocal advocate for expanding 5G wireless technology across the state, and has said on his Facebook page that if re-elected “in the 2019 Georgia General Assembly, it is imperative that we eliminate barriers put in place by many Georgia municipalities and counties.”
He also has supportedcutting personal and business income tax rates, additional funding for public K-12 education in Georgia and a proposed constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot for victims’ rights.
Parsons has not taken a formal position on transit options currently facing the Cobb Board of Commissioners following the passage of a metro-wide transit bill, HB 930, in the legislature this year. Here’s more on his campaign website.
Homer Crothers
His Republican opponent is Homer Crothers, a retired consultant in the manufacturing industry who considers himself a strong conservative. He supports full funding of the Quality Basic Education Act and reducing the state income tax.
Crothers does not have a campaign website but he does have a Facebook page outlining some of his positions, including being pro-life and espousing many other traditionally conservative views.
Crothers, who says he is running to be a “citizen legislator,” also has been active in his community association, and is current president of the Ebenezer Farms Homeowners Association.
Chinita Allen
Awaiting either Parsons or Crothers in November is Democrat Chinita Allen, a longtime school teacher in Cobb County, currently at Chalker Elementary School. She is unopposed in the primary.
According to her campaign website, her top priorities would be economic development, education, health and civil rights.
Allen advocates increased education spending for K-12. A member of the Georgia Science Teachers Association and a Georgia STEM Laureate, she said the state needs to establish more “science, STEM and career pathways.”
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This is the first of a week-long series of posts on East Cobb News about candidates in the May 22 primaries where there are contested party races. In the East Cobb area, there are five such contested races. To start here is information about those vying for Georgia State House District 37.
There are three Democrats on the May 22 primary ballot, with the winner facing Republican incumbent Sam Teasley, who has no GOP opposition.
District 37 includes portions of Northeast Cobb (see map above) as well as a good bit of the city of Marietta and some of West Cobb.
Bill Bolton
Bill Bolton is an engineering consultant who lives in East Cobb. On his website, he has laid out details on a number of issues, and wants to limit resources for the implementation of Obamacare, educate the children of immigrants “and work with them and their families to return to their countries,” reduce drug crimes to misdemeanors and support the creation of casinos in Georgia under the state lottery.
“I am a Democrat and I want my party to change. Obviously, I am not a Republican but I have been labeled as a libertarian in prior races,” said Bolton, who has previously run for governor and for mayor of Marietta. He also ran for the 37th district seat in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Ragin Edwards of East Cobb was a candidate in the 2017 6th Congressional District special election. A global sales operations manager for a technology firm, Edwards is a graduate of Pope High School and Georgia Tech.
Ragin Edwards
On her campaign website Edwards said she is running for what she calls “common sense gun reform,” improving education in Georgia, tax legislation to benefit middle-class families and state Medicaid expansion, among other issues (more on her platform here).
Her campaign slogan is “Truth and Transparency Now!” and she calls herself “the voice for the unheard.” Here’s more from Edwards about her candidacy.
Mary Frances Williams has lived in the city of Marietta all her life, and her late father, Howard Atherton, served as Marietta mayor and in the legislature.
Mary Frances Williams
A social worker, she has been a lobbyist for various family and children’s non-profits at the state capitol. Williams’ priorities include better funding of public education, improving access to health care and transportation issues. Here’s more from Williams on those and other issues.
On her Facebook page she said while she applauds Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision to fully fund Quality Basic Education, “the Quality Basic Education formula is 33 years old and needs to be modernized. When elected, I look forward to working to update the way public education is funded in Georgia.”
State Rep. Sam Teasley
Teasley is the vice chairman of the House Republican Caucus and was first elected to represent District 37 in 2010. He serves on the following committees: Banks and Banking; Education; Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications; Ethics; Insurance; and Ways and Means.
A realtor, Teasley believes in limited government and his campaign website indicates that his top priorities are job creation, education and government accountability.
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One more week remains until the May 22 primaries, and East Cobb advance voting will take place during that week.
Any eligible voters can vote Monday-Friday, May 14-18, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road). The same hours and dates are also in effect for other advance voting locations, and you’re free to vote there also, regardless of where you live:
South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive, Mableton;
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Three of the four Cobb commission District 3 candidates on the May 22 primary ballot turned out Tuesday night for a wide-ranging forum in Marietta, and explained their views on the county budget, spending and taxes, traffic and transit, zoning and development and other issues.
Tom Cheek
The only candidate not present was the person who currently holds that Northeast Cobb seat. Republican JoAnn Birrell, who is running for her third term, was a no-show at the forum, which was sponsored by the Cobb County Civic Coalition.
The other sitting commissioner seeking re-election, Republican Bob Weatherford of District 1 in West Cobb, also was absent.
The event was moderated by Dick Yarbrough, a columnist for The Marietta Daily Journal.
The two Democratic District 3 candidates, James Smith and Caroline Holko, said they favored raising the millage rate to solve the county’s estimated $30 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2019.
Birrell’s primary opponent, civic activist and software account manager Tom Cheek, who described himself as a “ferocious taxpayer advocate,” said he wants to see more detailed figures about how big the budget gap really is.
“No one has convinced me of the accuracy” of the projected budget deficit, he said in response to an audience question posed to all the candidates. “Until we get a grip on proper budgeting . . . I’m not ready to give up the millage rate we have now.”
Cheek advocates taking unused SPLOST dollars for lower-tier projects and placing them in the general fund budget (via a referendum process), looking to privatize some government functions and getting out of “the parking deck business . . . the golf course business . . . and the [Braves] stadium security business.”
Caroline Holko
The Cobb general fund millage rate is currently 6.76, a figure that was lowered in 2016. Birrell, who has said she does not favor increasing property taxes, voted for that reduction.
Smith, a retired Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority manager who’s involved with the Canton Road Neighbors civic group, frequently cited the lack of pay raises and benefits for county workers in his remarks about taxes.
He noted that salaries for Cobb firefighters and police officers are 12 and 17 percent, respectively, below the national average. “We’re trying to do more with less,” he said. “We’re not giving people a living wage and benefits to keep them here.”
While Cobb rightfully touts itself as having one of the lowest tax rates in the metro Atlanta area, Smith said, “but at what cost?”
Cheek also noted that a starting full-time police officer’s salary in Cobb is less than the pay for a part-time county commissioner, and he would work to change that.
Holko, a former non-profit administrator and home-schooling mother with liberal views, admitted she doesn’t come from a “traditional political background” in a conservative district. She advocates more transit options for Cobb citizens, and opposes proposed cuts in the Cobb library system and increases in fees for senior services.
James Smith
Holko said raising the property tax rate one mill would cost an average Cobb homeowner around $100 more a year. “I can blow that in Target in about five minutes,” she said.
She and her family moved to Cobb from New Orleans several years ago, attracted by the tax rate but also the services they provide.
However, she said, “to watch that continued to be chipped away at is heartbreaking.”
When asked to specify how she would cut the budget, she said “I don’t really support any significant budget cuts.”
Smith said he would like to see the line items in county government departments, and it’s “darn near impossible” to get that information now.
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce, a Republican from East Cobb, has suggested a 1.1-mills increase but hasn’t released a full budget proposal. He’s scheduled budget town hall meetings for next month, with budget adoption in July.
On the subject of transit, Holko urged the marketing budget for CobbLinc be increased “so people know it exists.”
Smith said that “whatever we do needs to go to a referendum.” Cheek is more doubtful increasing transit, citing heavy costs and a small ridership for commuting. He’s also skeptical of a new state law to create a new Atlanta-area regional transit authority.
The candidates agreed on the need for greater transparency and on zoning and development and sticking to the land use plan, and concurred that stipulation letters agreed to by developers should not be used to circumvent the county code.
District 1 challengers Kelli Gambrill and Forrest Shealy also participated in the forum.
Advance voting began in Cobb on Monday, and continues through May 18.
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This week may be your only occasion to hear all Cobb commission candidates in one place, in both parties, before the May 22 primaries.
There’s a forum sponsored by the Cobb County Civic Coalition Tuesday, and Democratic and Republican candidates for District 3 in Northeast Cobb and District 1 in North Cobb have been invited to attend.
The forum lasts from 7-9 p.m. and will be held on the second floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
That’s the meeting room for the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and if you can’t attend the forum it will be shown on the Cobb government access channel, TV 23 for Comcast subscribers.
The District 3 seat is being contested in both parties. Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell is seeking her third term.
She is being opposed by Tom Cheek, a civic activist who filed ethics complaints against former Cobb commission chairman Tim Lee for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal. A software account manager, Cheek is a first-time candidate for public office.
On the Democratic side, two first-time candidates are running as well: retired Cobb water system employee James Smith, and Caroline Holko, a stay-at-home mother.
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Less than a month remains before local, federal and state primary elections, and Cobb Elections is looking for individuals to work at the polls for the May primaries and beyond.
Advance voting begins on Monday at the Cobb Elections office in Marietta. The East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) will have advance voting the week of May 14-18.
According to Cobb Elections supervisor Janine Eveler, there are 144 precincts that will be in operation on May 22, the formal primary election day. Any runoffs will take place on July 24, and the general elections are Nov. 6.
Here’s more from her about how to apply to be a poll worker and how much you’ll be paid, including required training.
If you want to vote before May 22 or before the East Cobb advance voting week, you’ll have to go the Cobb Elections office (West Park Government Center, 736 Whitlock Ave.) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday-Friday between April 30 and May 18.
In addition, there will be Saturday advance voting on May 12 at the same location, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, call Cobb Elections at 770-528-2581.
In case you missed it, here’s the Cobb consolidated ballot for the primaries, as well as customizable ballots for your precinct.
And here are the primary and general election candidates who’ve qualified in East Cobb races, from U.S. Congress, Georgia governor and other statewide positions to legislative, county commissioner, school board and county judgeships.
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Voters in the May 22 primaries in Georgia can now get a sneak preview of whom they’ll be voting for. Countywide, consolidated Cobb sample ballots (Republican, Democratic and non-partisan) have been released by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration.
If you request a Democratic ballot, you will find four non-binding questions added by the Democratic Party of Georgia to gauge the mood of party voters. They include whether they approve of the following:
requiring the sale of bump stocks on firearms;
support expansion of state Medicaid funding;
allow for the creation of an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission;
investing “a substantial amount” of tax dollars on mass transit.
Just a week remains for those who haven’t registered to vote to do so. The deadline to sign up online or in person is next Tuesday, April 24. Absentee balloting also is underway. To request a ballot, visit the Cobb Elections website or get more information by calling 770-528-2581.
The Cobb Republican Women’s Club is continuing candidate forums this week for a number of state, local and federal races (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
On Tuesday, the session includes candidates in several East Cobb-area legislative races. On Wednesday, the forums will include the contested GOP primary for District 3 of the Cobb Board of Commissioners between incumbent JoAnn Birrell and challenger Tom Cheek.
The forums last from 7-9 p.m. each evening in the Cobb Board of Commissioners 2nd floor meeting room, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta. TV coverage will be provided by Channel 23, the Cobb government cable access channel (on Comcast), as well as livestreaming at cobbcounty.org.
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